Anthem Athletics rashguard is a great light weight rash guard -- if your a man. Our female review found it was still light weight, dried quickly and long enough to cover the belly in most all positions but too big in the shoulders. Melissa Davis is a purple belt under Giva Santana at Lotus Club in Irvine.

MEN’S

My boyfriend (Brazilian black belt and Lotus Club member Fernando Travessoni) reports that the men’s version of this rash guard fits great, is light weight and is very comfortable.

WOMEN’S

In keeping with the reputation of my gender (or perhaps with the increased difficulty in fitting women’s bodies with tight, thin fabric), I have a bit more to say.

PROS:

Super light-weight, breathing fabric adds very little to your weight and does not maintain much moisture on your body as some thicker rashies can do

Long torso keeps the tummy under wrap when you are in the most flattering of inverted belly fold making poses

CONS:

Suffers from the common women’s rash guard syndrome – it has that extra shoulder fabric and lack of curve hugging that tends to occur when the women’s rash guard is just a smaller version of the men’s pattern. Not nearly as bad as others I have experienced, but still not a totally flattering fit.

-[EDITORS NOTE: This is the mens small rash guard. Anthem Athletics has informed BJJ Legends that they are is working on a women's rash guard. We look forward to comparing and reviewing the new women's rashie when it comes out.]-

SUMMARY:

This is a great basic rash guard with nice fabric and a good long torso for coverage. If you are a dude it has no real downside. Its light weight and fits great and is comfortable. If you are a woman, it is still light weight and comfortable, but not completely fitted for your feminine bits or lack of masculine bits. For girls I would go a size smaller to minimize the extra shoulder and waist fabric and it should be about 90% of the way to a well fitted rashguard. Since the torso is long you won’t lose tummy coverage with a smaller size. (I am 5'6" and about 135 lbs with a very long torso and slightly larger than average shoulder width, ~34C chest. I am usually a size small in rash guards, and am wearing a size small Anthem Athletics rash guard in the photos).

If that sounds like you then Virus has you covered with some of the newest tech you can find in sport clothing. Just a quick look at their Technology Tab on their website or Facebook will show what this cutting edge group can put out. Virus has also shown their love of BJJ and MMA by sponsoring top ranked fighters such as Cub Swanson and Jake Ellenberger. A few months ago I was sent a set of their gear: shorts, compression shirt and compression pants to put thru its paces rolling and after just a few times wearing it I’m now fully converted to the benefits of compression gear.

93 Brand has spent the last year making its presence known in the jiu jitsu world. Their initial offering, the Grey Goose, was a very well received grey gi (reviewed here and here). The Gentle Chief rashguard is the love child of their collaboration with BJJ artist Gawakoto. The rashguard features artwork by Gawakoto, is made in the USA and looks pretty spiffy. I want to thank BJJHQ for sending this rashguard to me and letting me beat it up for a few months while working on this review.

Platinum Jiu Jitsu has a small but deeply loyal following of jiu jiteiros that appreciate the flash of their designs and the quality of their craftsmanship. Each gi is produced in a very small batch, just 25 total gis divided among the 4 sizes, and features a fully sublimated rashguard liner. The rasghuards are based on artwork by Hawaiian artist Katch1. The exterior patching, embroidery and color schemes are all intended to compliment the interior artwork. Sean sent me the Grenada, #5 of 25, in A3 a few months ago and I’ve been putting it thru its paces ever since.

“Established in 2012, Fight Culture Clothing is a brand that makes athletic wear designed for the warrior that lives among our civilized society. Our brand realizes that all fighters carry certain qualities inside their hearts that separate us from everyone else.We understand that in fight culture we are willing and eager to embrace hardships, whether on the mat, in the ring or inside the cage in order to be the best we can be. Therefore Fight Culture Clothing is committed to providing high quality apparel that will meet our need for intense training and competition.Most of us recognize that we will never be a World Champion or achieve Gold, but as fighters we are all linked by our desire to succeed – in our lives, at our jobs, for our families and to make a difference in the world.”

“BreakpointFC was founded out of our love for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. We understand the difficulty of finding quality Gis with good fit. Our brand values quality and customer service. We constantly try to refine our products to respond to the demands of the Jiu Jitsu community. Where other premium Gi companies products skyrocket in price while declining in quality, Break Point offers premium Gis at competitive prices with excellent design, fit and quality. One roll and you will know the difference.” Breakpoint FC

Break Point’s new series of ranked rashguards are available in short sleeves. The rashguards are IBJJF legal, available in traditional ranks, kid’s ranks, pink and red. The rashguards feature fully sublimated graphics and are available for $49.95 from Breakpoint.

I wear rashguards every time that I train. Gi or nogi, it doesn’t matter. I wear half a dozen rashguards every week and I’m pretty rough on them. My typical rashguards last about 4 to 6 months before a seam pops or begins to unravel. Sadly, some have only made it a few sessions before going into the pile of unusable gear. Finding one that’s affordable, comfortable and budget friendly is very important to me and probably to you as well. In this review I’ll be looking at Apollo Fight Gear’s rashguard. It’s fully sublimated, has extra torso length, comes in long-sleeve or short-sleeve and is only $30.

“The company was founded in 2011 by Kári Gunnarsson, an avid grappling/BJJ practitioner and competitor. Kári has competetive experience in both MMA and Muay Thai. The main goal of the company is to provide MMA/Grappling/BJJ gear of the highest quality, and just as importantly, with crisp/fresh designs.

We don’t feel that the majority of MMA brands out there appeal to us, as we are not attracted to the “in your face” style that most companies seem to cultivate, so we aim to create crisp cool designs (though not necesarily minimalistic). We take our inspiration more from surf clothing than from other MMA brands, and try to incorporate that design feeling into clothing that is meant to withstand MMA/Grappling rather than surfing.” Odin Fightwear

Odin Fightwear’s no gi offerings include rashguards (blue and brown) as well as board shorts. The rashguards are 40€ and board shorts are 45€. This price includes the EU tax. Those outside the EU will pay ~25% LESS (~$30 usd & ~$44 usd respectively). The gear has fully sublimated graphics, distinctive styling and a few features that you don’t typically find in rashguard.

Over the last year X-Guard Brand has made a name for itself by producing high-quality gis at affordable prices (<$140 with shipping included). Something that doesn’t get as much attention is their offering of customized rashguards. X-Guard sublimates all of there own rashguards in house and were kind enough to send me one of their “Save 2nd Base” breast cancer awareness rashguards early last month. I liked the rashguard so much that I purchased another one shortly thereafter with my school logos on it. X-guard’s customized gear includes rashguards, board shorts and patches.

LUTA is a unique fight wear company that focuses not only on innovative product design but also on their strong sense of social awareness and responsibility. As a company they share 50% of their profits with Fight for Peace International, an international organization that opens and runs academies combining boxing, martial arts as well as educational and personal development programs. The academies are in areas of the world where there are few opportunities for young people that don’t involve crime and violence. For this review LUTA sent their two most popular products: the MMA Performance rash guard and MMA fight shorts as well as their newest innovation the Laser Tech rash guard. My first introduction to LUTA was at BJJHQ when the MMA Performance rash guard was posted and promptly sold out. Luta offers rashguards, fight shorts, boxing training gear, and clothing.

From the LUTA website:Born in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, Luta is a new fightwear and lifestyle clothing brand that brings together real fight performance, favela street style and a genuine social mission.

LUTA, Portuguese for fight, was founded for three reasons:1st - There was a need for really advanced performance fightwear and trainingwear.2nd - I wanted to pay homage to the positive energy in the favelas and the strength I’d witnessed training young champions there since 2000. 3rd - I wanted to support those young champions in communities that suffer from crime and violence, by providing Fight for Peace with a profit share in the company.Luke Dowdney

One last thing before the review. To celebrate LUTA's new US Website we've gotten a 25% off coupon code good for all purchases from the US shop! The code is: BJJVIP and will be valid until December 19th, 2012.